FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: Naked-eye Geosynchronous Satellite

["Jack Jones" <Telescoper@xxxxxxx>]

I saw one too in the same but it was telescopic, passing slowly by a galaxy in 
a low-power field. I watched it move along and then turned off the drive. The 
stars then moved past as it sat stationary in the field, but the illusion 
still persisted of it moving thru the stars and I kept expecting it to go out 
of the field of view.

Jack


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Polakis" <tpolakis@xxxxxxx>
To: <AZ-Observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2007 1:26 PM
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Naked-eye Geosynchronous Satellite


Last night, the conditions were about as good as they get at the Arizona City 
site.  Nice to see another good turnout for the All-Arizona Star Party.

Just a couple days ago, Brian Skiff mentioned to me that he saw a naked-eye 
star that was out of place in Cetus.  He recognized it as a geosynchronous 
satellite as soon as he noticed that it was in the declination band 
(roughly -5 degrees).  At midnight last night I was thinking about his 
observation, and looked up into Cetus to see an extra 3rd-magnitude star near 
Zeta Ceti.  The view through the scope revealed another stationary satellite, 
trailing it by a few arcminutes.  Since the telescope field at the site is so 
expansive, I only told Rick Rotramel and Paul Lind, who were nearby.

Last year at this time, we saw a naked-eye geostationary satellite from Steve 
and Rosie Dodder's place on October 14.  They flare when they are near 
opposition from the sun, but out of the earth's shadow, which is 17 degrees in 
diameter.

http://www.freelists.org/archives/az-observing/10-2006/msg00039.html
http://www.freelists.org/archives/az-observing/10-2006/msg00042.html

This subject is covered in some detail by Jeff Umberger on the SeeSat-L 
mailing list.

http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Sep-2006/0029.html

His map for 33N indicates that we are within a couple days of the end of the 
window for flaring geosynchronous satellites.

Tom
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